Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
Kirigakure.
The air was filled with the smell of the sea.
Mizukage building, office.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, sat in the main seat, his purple pupils unfocused, staring blankly at the documents on the table.
He was like a puppet from which the soul had been drawn.
In the corner of the office, shadows began to writhe, and the wall's material became soft like a quagmire.
A pure white figure with a swirling head slowly squeezed out of the wall.
His movements were comical, yet his presence was unsettling.
It was Tobi, a special White Zetsu.
He peeked around, then bounced over to Yagura's desk, greeting him with an exaggerated tone. "Yo, Mizukage-sama, still busy? You must be working hard!"
Yagura showed no reaction to this.
Tobi pouted in boredom, then twisted his body and passed directly through the thick wall at the back of the office.
Behind the wall was a secret room.
The secret room was pitch black.
It was covered by a powerful barrier, isolating all perception from inside and out.
"Obito, Obito! I've discovered a huge secret!" As soon as Tobi stood still, he immediately started yelling excitedly.
Instantly, the space in front of him suddenly twisted, and a dark vortex rapidly spun and expanded.
A tall figure stepped out, and a cold aura filled the entire room.
Uchiha Obito.
At this moment, he was not wearing a mask.
Half of his face was a terrifying scar, crisscrossed with deep furrows, and a crimson Sharingan spun deep within the scar.
The other half was replaced by a pale prosthetic made of Hashirama cells, devoid of life, yet giving off a heart-pounding sense of pressure.
"Shut up, Tobi," Obito's voice was hoarse and cold, full of impatience.
He was in a very bad mood right now.
Nagato was becoming increasingly uncontrollable, and the resistance in Kirigakure was making him more and more annoyed.
He didn't have the extra energy to deal with this idiot's noise.
"Oh, don't be so cold, Obito!" Tobi twisted his body in an exaggerated way.
"I am Madara now."
"Ah! Yes, yes! Madara-sama! Madara-sama, I've discovered a huge secret!"
"Speak."
Tobi leaned in, lowering his voice, and said mysteriously. "I found the hiding place of Kumogakure's group!"
Obito's expression grew even more impatient, and he snorted coldly. "A bunch of stray dogs, what's there to pay attention to?"
In his opinion, Kumogakure's actions this time were nothing but a death wish.
"No, no, no, this time it's different!" Tobi leaned even closer. "The Fourth Raikage is there too! Guess what they're doing?"
"A?" Obito's eyes narrowed. "What are they doing?"
Tobi gestured in an exaggerated way. "They're setting up a super—super—big teleportation array!"
His crimson Sharingan suddenly locked onto Tobi.
"Teleportation array?"
"Yes! Yes!" Tobi nodded repeatedly, his tone excited. "I saw it with my own eyes!"
"Just now, with a whoosh, ten Kumogakure shinobi appeared from that array!"
"And, that array is still glowing and constantly absorbing chakra! It seems it can transport even more people!"
This news stunned Obito, and his heart pounded violently.
Ultra-long distance!
Continuous operation!
Batch teleportation!
Plus A himself!
These words strung together made him instantly understand Kumogakure's true intention. "No wonder..."
Infiltration? Assassination?
No!
Those madmen from Kumogakure were actually waging a war of destruction, betting everything!
They were bypassing all of the Land of Fire's defenses in an unexpected way.
Then they would directly deploy a large army right in front of Konoha's face... while Konoha's main forces were all at the border!
Thinking of this, his three-tomoe Sharingan began to spin, eventually transforming into the strange pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
An uncontrollable excitement and violence surged from the bottom of his heart.
"Madara-sama, what should we do now?" Tobi tilted his head, asking curiously. "Should we go and destroy Kumogakure's teleportation array?"
"Destroy it?" Obito sneered. "Why would I destroy it?"
He paced constantly, his thoughts racing.
Letting Kumogakure and Konoha fight to mutual destruction would be entirely beneficial to the Eye of the Moon Plan, with no harm.
He could even personally step in at a critical moment.
To give Konoha, and his good teacher, an unforgettable grand gift!
For example... the Nine-Tails.
Thinking of this, his single eye became even more crimson.
"Tobi."
"Here, here!"
"Have the other White Zetsu keep a close watch on them." Obito's tone was chilling. "I want to know the number of people they teleport each time, and..."
"Their final time of action."
"There must be no mistakes!"
"Alright! Leave it to me!" Tobi responded cheerfully, his body once again merging into the wall and disappearing.
The secret room returned to dead silence.
Obito stood quietly in the darkness.
A moment later, he spoke to a shadow. "Black Zetsu, did you hear that?"
As his voice fell, the ground began to writhe, and Black Zetsu's upper body emerged from it.
"I heard." A strange smile hung on his sinister face. "This is indeed an opportunity."
"When Konoha and Kumogakure fight to mutual destruction, then..."
"No!" Obito interrupted. "Now is not the time to capture the Nine-Tails!"
Black Zetsu was startled for a moment, then laughed.
He has grown!
Obito didn't look at him. Memories were reflected in his crimson Mangekyo Sharingan.
Minato-sensei... Kakashi... and... Rin!
This decaying world doesn't deserve you.
Let Kumogakure's lightning and Konoha's fire burn it clean!
Just as Obito was plotting his schemes, in the distant capital, it was not yet fully light, covered by a thin morning mist.
However, the daimyo manor was already brightly lit, with people bustling about.
Last night, Shin didn't go to Uchiha Kasumi, but instead visited Mei Terumi, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
Inside the sleeping chambers, incense smoke curled upwards.
Mei Terumi was carefully arranging the daimyo's clothes, her movements gentle, a submissive smile on her face.
Clearly, she knew her place well.
Shin looked down at her beautiful hair bun and fair neck, then suddenly spoke. "I know what you've been doing recently."
Mei Terumi's hand paused slightly, then she continued as if nothing had happened.
"I'm glad you didn't run!" Looking at her submissive appearance, Shin chuckled softly and continued. "So, I gave you some freedom to do what you wanted."
"However... when I return, I hope to see you here again."
Mei Terumi lowered her head, her voice meek. "I understand. I... will be good!"
Shin said, "It better be so!"
"Otherwise..."
The last two words were spoken very softly.
Mei Terumi's face stiffened into a smile, then she once again showed submission. "I will wait obediently for the daimyo to return."
Shin smiled and gently patted her beautiful face.
Then, he turned and walked out of the hall.
His footsteps gradually faded into the distance.